Loving You With My Whole Heart
by khaleessiya
Summary: A series of scenes from Will and Alice's life in Storybrooke together. Assume the Red Queen and Jafar were defeated, and that when Alice and Cyrus reunited they both realized their feelings had changed. For Alice, it was more the idea of Cyrus she was in love with, but in the end, Will she truly loved.


"What's this?"

Alice's voice draws Will's attention away from the rumblings of his stomach and the internal debate with himself about whether or not he should take her to Granny's for her first meal in Storybrooke. Half turning, he sees she has her hand pressed against the glass window storefront of the electronics store, fingers splayed over a television playing Disney's version of Snow White. His laugh is both appreciation at the choice of film, all things considered in this town, and the look of wonder on Alice's face as she stares at the screen.

It's been a very long time since he's seen anything cause that expression to cross her face, and Will realises in that moment just how much he's missed it.

"That's a telly."

"The thing that tells you stories?" she asks, leaning closer to the glass as Dopey is surrounded by bubbles.

"Exactly that."

"I want one," she says, voice matter of fact and determined.

The grin on her face reminds Will of a kid on Christmas morning, eager at the prospect of something new. Not that he actually knows through first hand experience what kids look like on Christmas morning. He's seen it in films, of course, but he knows now that tearing down the stairs with his sister, the both of them bouncing with uncontained excitement, are memories that aren't real. Will can recall the way her face lit up, even the way their house smelled, and he did have a sister once, but there's no Christmas where he comes from.

"Got one at home, don't worry," he lets his amusement show on his face when she makes a sound of satisfaction.

"Where's home?" she asks, and for the first time it really hits him that home for him is also home for her.

That she chose him.

Will takes her hand and leads her home to the small apartment Alice instantly deems 'cozy.' The tour is brief, succinct, because there's not much to show and he knows Alice is tired. He opts to try his hand at finding them something to eat while she takes a bath. Really, all he wants is for her to relax, to like it here with him. It's all he's ever wanted.

He leaves her with the water running, teaches her how to turn the handle this way or that to change the temperature, then flees the moment her fingers begin undoing the buttons of her shirt. Nearly every part of him screams, _'Stay, test the boundaries.' _Instead, he shuts the door firmly behind him.

Will is by no means a gentleman, but there are certain things he'd rather not screw up in his life. Being with Alice is one of them, because he intends to love her for the remainder of his life, if she'll let him. The day Alice had given him back his heart was the day it had become hers, he just hadn't realized it for some time after. And though all he wants to do is kiss her like he knows she's never been kissed, and show her all the things he knows about love, he doesn't want to scare her away.

He distracts himself by staring at a box of frozen waffles he finds in the freezer. It's pretty much the only thing in his apartment that hasn't grown its own ecosystem in the time he's been gone. The trouble is, it's a month after the 'Best By' date, and he's not sure if that means it's still alright to eat or not. Possibly, but probably not. Granny's seems like the best solution, and he's all but convinced himself to pop out and grab a meal for two when a startled scream fills the quiet of the room. Will's heart stops, then restarts when he hears the sound of Alice laughing.

"Still alive?" he asks through the door.

"Yes," there's a pause, then, "Will, come in."

Slowly, very slowly, he pushes the door open and sees that Alice is sitting at the far end of the tub, knees to her chest as the showerhead pours water down on her. Her hair is plastered to the cheek facing him, where he assumes the water soaked it when she accidentally turned on the shower. Grinning, she holds her hand out, where the streams are hitting her feet and shins.

"It's raining," she laughs again, looking up at him. "Are you sure we're not still in Wonderland?"

He's half tempted to join her in the tub, but manages to tear himself away from the sight of her, beautiful and full of mirth. They have to eat, after all.

Still, he makes a mental note to himself that at some point in their lives, he's going to have to share that tub with her.


End file.
